“What do you mean?” I didn’t understand what she was trying to say. How was her wolf more carefree than she was used to?
“She’s not easy to control. She relies a lot on her instincts, which isn’t something I’m used to.”
I scratched my head. “I’m still not following you. Relying on your instinct is a good thing. And her not being easy to control is probably because she’s an animal. I think maybe that part takes time.”
“Yeah, I know.” She licked her lips. “I’m just so used to being in control of all aspects of my life, and this is one where, when I allow her to take over and I set her free, I can’t control her the way that I want. Not really. And, that scares me.”
Her words made her sound so vulnerable and the way her shoulders drooped forward made her seem small. Fragile.
I grabbed her wrist, bringing her to a standstill in the middle of the sidewalk with me, and pivoted her so she was facing me. I lifted her chin, forcing her eyes up to meet mine, and then I said, “It’s okay to be afraid. Every single one of us was at some point or another after being bitten. I’m pretty sure it’s normal. Same as I’m pretty sure you’re exactly where you need to be to learn to not fear your wolf. So kudos to you for finding your way here and for toughing it out with the rest of us because it’s not easy some days. I know that better than most. Please, just stop thinking you’re weak or not in control, or whatever, because I don’t see you that way. You’re smart, beautiful, brave, and strong.”
Without saying another word, I kissed her.
It was supposed to be a sweet, peck on the lips, but when she leaned into me and intertwined her fingers in the hair at the nape of my neck before snaking her tongue out to brush against my bottom lip, the kiss went to another place.
Time seemed to tick away slowly… until an asshole in the tiny silver car decided to honk his horn at us as he passed. When we pulled apart, we were both out of breath, and I swore there was nothing in this world that could dim my smirk.
“That was amazing,” I said, still out of breath.
Tori shook her head. “No, that wasn’t amazing, you’re amazing. Thanks for not making me feel stupid for admitting this whole wolf thing sort of freaks me out even though I said it was something I wanted.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“I feel like I do. You were supportive about it, and you made me feel better about something that’s bothered me for a while.”
“Have you not told your parents how you feel?”
Her eyes widened. “No. I can’t.” She untangled herself from me and crammed her hands into the back pockets of her jeans before continuing to walk toward Nachos. “It would crush them. They already have enough regret about what they did. I can see it in their eyes. I don’t want to make them feel bad about something I told them I wanted. They tried to talk me out of it, but I swore I’d thought about it and that it was what I wanted. I honestly thought I’d be okay with it. I thought my wolf and I would have this amazing connection. What I didn’t expect was to feel as though something foreign had been placed inside me I couldn’t get rid of. That’s awful, I know. My wolf deserves someone better than me.”
“I’m sure that’s frustrating, and while I don’t necessarily feel the same way about my wolf, I do understand how this whole thing shook you up. Trust me, I get it.”
Tori glanced at me. “Thanks. For listening. For not criticizing me. For being you. It felt good to finally talk about it all with someone. Even though I’m sure my wolf hated it—she’s pacing.”
“Cut her some slack, Shewolf. Tori is doing the best she can,” I said as I leaned in, hoping her wolf heard me.
Tori laughed, and there was no better sound. Ever.
I held the door open for her and we stepped inside Nachos. The scent of spicy food and cheese dip lingering in the air, making my mouth water, but it was Tori’s laughter that had a smile stretched across my face. Tonight was turning out fantastic.
Tori
After we ate at Nachos, we headed to the coffee shop, which also served Froyo. I opted for mixing cheesecake and strawberry together while topping it with salted dark chocolate chunks. It was like heaven in my mouth.
Holt had mixed together all of the frozen yogurt options available, creating a cheesecake, strawberry, chocolate, peppermint combo that I didn’t think tasted half bad.
“That’s good. I actually wish I’d thought of it,” I said as I licked my spoon clean.
“I told you it would be good. And don’t worry, we’ll come back sometime soon so you can get your own.” He winked. I loved it when he winked at me. It was sexy, and always sent butterflies fluttering through my stomach.
“You were right.” I took another bite of my froyo before speaking again. “I just can’t believe you didn’t put any toppings on it. I mean, who forgoes toppings? They’re the best part.”
“I think I have enough flavor punch happening without added toppings.” He laughed.
“True.”
As we continued down the sidewalk, headed back to the academy, my gaze drifted to Last Call across the street. Music flowed from inside as a group of girls stepped outside for a cigarette. People stood around outside the doors, smoking cigarettes and chatting. It was a little after nine and the place seemed packed.
“Want to pop in and grab something to drink? I don’t think beer or liquor pairs well with froyo, but I’m down for it if that’s where you want to go,” Holt said as he caught my eyes positioned toward Last Call.
“No, I’m fine. Beer and liquor definitely don’t mix with froyo.”
“I don’t know,” he teased. “We might be able to make a crazy float mixing the two together.”
“Yuck!” I wrinkled my nose. Eating a strawberry cheesecake beer float with salted dark chocolate chunks sounded disgusting. I opened my mouth to say exactly that, but a commotion taking place in front of Last Call captured my attention. Holt glanced that way too. “Isn’t that Teddy? From our house?”
“Yeah.”
We both watched as Teddy shoved another guy farther from the entrance to Last Call. He stumbled, but attempted to head back inside despite Teddy’s clear warning against it.
“Who is that with him?” I asked, eyeing the other guy. He was short in stature, but buff. I’d seen him before, but he wasn’t from our house. “He’s in Bound, isn’t he?”
“Yeah. His name’s Rich,” Holt said. “He’s in my Strength Training class.”
Rich got in Teddy’s face, and while Teddy didn’t seem like the fighting type, he had his back to me, leaving me unable to gauge his expression.
“I should go see if everything’s okay. It looks like Teddy’s having a hell of a time rounding up Rich,” Holt said. He glanced at me with sympathy in his eyes. I knew it was because he didn’t want to end our date or detour it down this path—neither did I—but whatever was going on between Teddy and Rich looked serious. “Are you okay with that?”
I nodded. “Absolutely. Let’s go see what’s going on.”
Holt wasted no time placing his hand against the small of my back and steering me across the street in their direction. I ate another spoonful of froyo before tossing the cup and spoon in a trash can we passed.
When we reached the two, I had no idea what was going on, but my wolf was able to feel the situation out quickly.
Shifter magic was in the air.
“Shit,” Holt muttered a millisecond later. “This isn’t good. We need to get Rich out of here.”
My gaze locked on Rich. Shifter magic oozed from him. He was about to release his wolf. Right here in front of everyone.
“I know,” I said.
While it wouldn’t be horrible if he did, it wouldn’t be good either. Brentwood was a supernatural friendly town, but that didn’t mean there weren’t humans among its residents who were oblivious to the supernatural world.
“Rich, come on, don’t do this,” Teddy pleaded. There was a faint slur to his words, and I knew I was right in suspecting both of
them had had a few drinks tonight. “You don’t want to do this, man.”
Rich shook his head. “It’s time.”
“No. Listen to him, buddy,” Holt insisted. He stepped closer and leaned in. “Keep your wolf in check. It’s better for everyone if you do,” he whispered.
I focused on Rich. He seemed distraught, pissed, but distraught. What had set him off? What made him think shifting in front of all these people was okay? That it was something he needed to do?
Was he spelled?
Rich was in Wolf Bound. Even though they weren’t allowed to use magic outside of the classroom or on their own, that didn’t mean everyone in Bound followed that rule. I’d witnessed a few from that house use magic before. Once, I was pretty sure a girl used magic to get rid of a hickey on her neck in the bathroom of the student center building. I hadn’t blamed her, but still. Bounds used magic in ways that broke the rules sometimes.
Was this one of those times? Had someone spelled Rich to reveal his wolf to these people so he’d get in trouble with the academy?
“Those assholes deserve to know they’re not better than me. They aren’t better than you. Or you. Or you,” Rich slurred as he pointed to each of us standing around him. “They aren’t shit compared to any of us. And, I’m going to show them why.”
Okay, so the theory of him being spelled by someone in his house as a prank or out of anger was knocked off the table. Apparently, he was just pissed at some jerks inside the bar.
“Who is he talking about?” Holt asked Teddy.
Teddy ran his fingers through his hair. “Some group of guys inside who are complete jerks. They’ve been heckling just about everyone for the last hour.”
“Yeah, because they’re fucking assholes who need to be put in their place,” Rich insisted through gritted teeth.
His eyes flared as more shifter magic rolled off him. He reached for the collar of his shirt, and in one swift movement, tore it from his body. The fabric split down the center as though he’d taken a pair of invisible scissors to it, revealing his toned chest and abs. The veins in his neck bulged as he let out a growl that was more animal than human.
“Let me go back in there and show them who the hell they’re dealin’ with,” Rich shouted. Spit flew from his mouth when he spoke.
I took a step back, not because of the spit, but because of how scary and intense he was behaving. Rich was dead set on showing those fools who they were messing with. I didn’t know if anything we said would be able to stop him. He seemed to have reached beyond the point of reining in his wolf.
“Chill,” Holt insisted. He reached for Rich’s arm. “Those guys aren’t worth the trouble you’d get yourself in with the academy and then some.”
He was right. Who knew what kind of trouble Rich would find himself in if he went through with this.
“Why don’t we go for a walk,” I suggested, thinking it sounded like a good idea.
“Holt is right, man. They aren’t worth getting expelled, or worse,” Teddy insisted, piggybacking off what Holt said and seeming to ignore my suggestion of going for a walk.
His odd wording did give me pause, though. What would be worse than being expelled from the academy? I couldn’t think of a single thing besides being killed, but the academy wouldn’t do that to Rich for revealing his wolf to humans.
Would they?
I focused on Teddy. He seemed even more uneasy than the situation called for. Sweat beaded along his brow as though the stress of the situation was making his heart pound. Did he have anxiety? I didn’t know him well enough to answer that question, but from the times I’d ran into him in the Bitten house, I didn’t think he suffered from it any more than the next person.
His eyes shifted to look at those surrounding us. A small group had formed. People were curious about what was taking place. A fight. An argument. And then there were a couple who seemed to be watching Rich heavily. Had they overheard enough to know what Rich wanted to do?
“Let’s go back to the academy,” Teddy insisted as he locked eyes with Rich. “Before the E—” Teddy glanced around again. He swallowed hard and then returned his gaze to Rich. What had he been about to say? And who in the crowd had made him think twice about saying it? “Before you do something stupid. This isn’t the time or place for that and you know it.”
Chill bumps swept across my skin because there seemed to be a double meaning in Teddy’s words. He’d accentuated certain words too much. Hadn’t he? Or was I making a big deal out of nothing? Maybe I was picking apart the situation more than I should.
Just when I thought the situation had been defused at Teddy’s last words, Rich started swinging. Holt barely missed taking a punch to the jaw. Teddy wasn’t so lucky. Rich busted him in the nose, sending a spray of blood down the front of his shirt. My hands covered my mouth as a gasp slipped free.
Holy crap!
I took another step back, giving the guys distance to scuffle with one another. Words obviously weren’t going to defuse this situation. Action needed to be taken.
“Dude, I’m telling you right now, you don’t want to fight me. Trust me on this,” Holt insisted as he ducked another blow from Rich. I was impressed with his reflexes. However, I knew he had to have gained some fast reflexes over the last few weeks since I was seeing fewer marks on him from the basketball games he played. I still didn’t know when he found the time for basketball, but somehow he did.
Teddy shoved Rich, and a group of girls standing close by smoking a cigarette squealed. Their heels clicked across the concrete of the sidewalk at a rapid pace as they moved back.
“What the fuck, Rich?” Teddy shouted. Blood continued to drip from his nose, but he didn’t seem to care. He was focused on Rich. “I’m trying to help you. I’m trying to keep you from doing something stupid. Don’t you understand that?”
Holt reared back and sucker punched Rich while he was distracted by Teddy. The hit was so strong, Rich stumbled, falling to the ground. His lips twisted into a smirk and a chuckle bubbled from his throat. He reminded me of a cartoon character who’d been hit with something and was seeing stars.
“Sorry, but you left me no choice,” Holt said. A shaky breath pushed past his lips, and I knew it was because he hadn’t wanted to hit Rich. “You left me no choice.”
The shifter magic clinging to the air dissipated.
“Doesn’t matter,” Rich said. He spit a bloody lougee on the sidewalk with his eyes still locked on Holt. “You can stop me today, but it doesn’t matter because you’re not going to be able to stop the revelation. It’s coming. Regardless.” Rich passed out before he could say another word.
I had no idea what he was talking about, and one look at Holt made me think he didn’t either. Teddy clearly did, though. His expression said it all.
“We should get him out of here,” Teddy insisted. He stepped to pick Rich up. “Before the cops are called or something.”
Holt moved to grab hold of Rich’s other arm. “Yeah. What was he talking about, though? What revelation is coming?”
“He’s drunk,” Teddy insisted. “I wouldn’t think too much on what he says. He’s not making sense. Just help me get him back to the academy, back to his dorm.”
Holt’s eyes shifted to mine. We both knew Teddy was lying. He was hiding something. Something Rich had been ready to reveal.
“Should I call a cab or an Uber or something?” I asked. “Walking back to the academy carrying him seems a little excessive.” I pulled my cell from my back pocket.
“I can take you,” someone said from behind me. “We can all pile into my SUV.”
I spun to see who it was and came face-to-face with a guy I’d seen around the academy. He was a Bound, if I remembered right, and his name was Lionel.
“Are you sure?” Holt asked.
“Yeah, absolutely.” Lionel retrieved his keys from his pocket and motioned for us to follow. He was headed toward a black SUV parked a few spaces away.
The guys followed, hauling
Rich along with them. I hung back a few steps, taking in the expressions of those around us. A few people seemed to stare for obvious reasons, but there was one guy with a scar who seemed to stare a little too heavily. A shiver slipped up my spine. I didn’t know who he was, but it was clear from one look he was from Wolf Blood, which meant he was part vampire.
What had Teddy, and Rich for that matter, gotten themselves into?
Lionel popped the back door of his SUV open so Holt and Teddy could shove Rich inside. The two of them sandwiched him in the middle, and I situated myself in the front with Lionel. A purple cardigan caught my eye. It had to belong to his girlfriend. I’d seen him around campus with a girl before. What was her name? It started with a G, that much I could remember. She was always studying, and there were rumors about her not holding any magic earlier in the year. I wondered if things had worked out for her.
Lionel placed his keys in the ignition and cranked the engine on his SUV to life. “So, what happened?” Lionel asked as he backed out of his parking space. There was a slight smile that twisted his lips. “Did Rich get hammered and start a fight?”
“Yeah,” Teddy answered before any of us could. A look of suspicion dulled Lionel’s features. I knew it was because of Teddy’s quick response.
“Sounds about right,” Lionel insisted as he headed toward the academy. “He’s a good guy, but he likes to raise hell.”
That much was clear.
I leaned back in my seat and shifted to look out the passenger window. It was about a ten-minute drive from downtown Brentwood to the academy, but it felt like an eternity. Awkward silence filled the vehicle that didn’t break until Rich began to rouse.
My chest tightened. I hoped he wouldn’t start swinging. Relief trickled through me when he didn’t. Instead, Rich cupped the side of his face.
“Ouch. Damn. What happened?” Rich muttered without removing his hand from his jaw.
“Apparently, you were running your mouth a little too much. Again,” Lionel said with a chuckle as he turned into the academy’s garage. He found a parking space and cut the engine on his SUV. “Thankfully, these guys were able to get you out of there before you caused any trouble.”
Wolf Bitten: Lunar Academy, Year One Page 9
